


The Templar and the Charger

by laPamplemousse



Series: The Templar and the Charger [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon Trans Character, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Trans Male Character, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:20:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4488105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laPamplemousse/pseuds/laPamplemousse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events at Therinfal Redoubt, Ser Delrin Barris finds himself working with the Inquisition. During his stay at Skyhold, he befriends Krem of the Bull's Chargers. Eventually Barris realizes he wants more.</p><p>Based on this DA Kink-Meme prompt: <a href="http://dragonage-kink.livejournal.com/14591.html?thread=55094783#t55094783">http://dragonage-kink.livejournal.com/14591.html?thread=55094783#t55094783</a></p><p>Submitting for Ser Delrin Barris and/or Krem in the Thedas' Most Bangable Collection/Challenge</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Templar and the Charger

The smell of sweat and cheap ale burned his nose as he walked in the door. He could barely hear himself think over all the noise. He chuckled to himself as he read the plaque near the door:   
“ _A place for all in service here,_  
To rest, recoup, and persevere,  _Though weighs the heart, remember best,_  
_Your saving grace, the Herald's Rest_ ”

 _I doubt_ anyone _gets any rest here._ He thought.

He turned his attention to the bar and saw Cullen waving him over. "Barris! Over here!" He called.

Barris walked over and sat down next to Cullen. He had an almost empty flagon of mead in front of him and his cheeks were flushed. He reached over to clap Barris on the back.

"I'm glad you made it! I wanted to congratulate you on a successful first mission!" Cullen exclaimed, a bit too loudly. This was definitely not his first drink of the evening.

Barris smiled timidly, a bit embarrassed. "Thank you Knigh...Commander, Ser." Barris said nervously.

Cullen frowned. "Barris, please! It's just Cullen here." He turned to Cabot, "Cabot! Get this man some mead! And another for me!" he yelled. 

Cabot rolled his eyes and walked away grumbling, returning a minute later with two flagons. He winked at Barris as he placed the flagons down in front of them—Cullen’s was mostly foam. Cullen didn't seem to notice, though, and he lifted his drink for a toast. 

"To Ser Barris, and his first mission as an agent of the Inquisition!" Cullen cheered. 

Several other patrons lifted their drinks, toasting loudly, "To Ser Barris!"

Barris felt rather self-conscious receiving that much attention, so he turned his focus to the mug of mead in his hand. He gulped it down dutifully, thankful that he didn't blush easily.

He was almost finished with his drink when he heard a booming voice coming from the right side of the room. "Commander! How can you have a toast without me?"

Barris turned towards the sound. Against the wall sat a huge Qunari, the largest man he'd ever seen.  _This must be the Iron Bull everyone talks about_. 

As if reading his thoughts, Cullen yelled, "Bull! We're celebrating Barris' return from saving Val Colline from the Venatori! Come drink with us!"

"Why don't you come over drink with me and the guys?" Bull yelled back, reaching out to pinch the arse of one of the serving girls as she walked by him. She squealed and made a face, but blushed and smiled when Bull winked at her. 

Cullen laughed and shrugged before getting up and walking over to the Qunari. Barris, not wanting to be impolite, followed suit. He sat down at an empty table in the corner, somewhat hoping his presence would be forgotten. He looked around at the group of people surrounding Iron Bull—the Chargers, he presumed. 

"So, Barris was it?" Bull turned to him.  _So much for being forgotten._  "What did you do that has Cullen in such high spirits? I've never seen him make such a big deal out of any of his soldiers. Did you suck his dick or something?" Bull laughed.

The rest of the Chargers laughed along with him, though Cullen seemed to have lost his good mood and was blushing furiously. Barris felt as mortified as Cullen looked, and he shook his head emphatically, which only drew another round of laughter from the Chargers. 

One of them, the one closest to Barris, seemed to take pity on the Templar. He leaned over to him and said, "Don't worry, the chief's just saying that 'cause he wants to get in the Commander's breeches," loud enough for the whole group to hear. 

Bull wasn't fazed. "Very funny Krem," he replied, "Though I'd be lying if I said it wasn't true." 

The Chargers roared with laughter. Even Barris couldn't help but chuckle. Cullen looked like he might burst into flames any moment.

"Right, well, I must be, uh, I have business to..." Cullen stammered as he rose from his seat. 

"I should be leaving too," Barris said quickly. He started to stand up but he felt a hand on his arm pulling him back into his seat.

"Aww c'mon Barris, stay and have a drink with us!" the Charger named Krem said, "We haven't even been properly introduced." 

Barris looked to Cullen for assistance, but he was already halfway to the door. Barris sighed. "I suppose another drink couldn't hurt. 

"That's the spirit!" Krem said, "Lottie! Get us another round over here!" He called to one of the serving girls. She ran over to the bar and returned quickly with a tray of drinks. She offered one to Krem first, batting her eyelashes and smiling coquettishly as she did. 

 _She must have a thing for him_. Barris thought. He paused for a moment to take in the mercenary’s appearance. He admired Krem’s smooth, defined jawline; his high cheekbones; his elegant nose; his wide mouth and full bottom lip—his entire face looked like it was sculpted from the finest marble. He wore full plate armor even inside the tavern, and Barris wondered what the warrior’s body looked like underneath all that metal. He imagined the man must be very strong, since he didn’t appear that tall and he had a smaller frame, yet still wore heavy plate so casually, as if it were the lightest chainmail. His mind conjured up images of toned muscles, dense but not bulky, all smooth lines and taut sand-colored skin. 

"Hey Barris!" Krem's voice shook him from his train of thought. "Let me introduce you to the Chargers. That of course is the Iron Bull, then we have Skinner, Stitches, Dalish, Rocky, and Grim. And as you probably heard, I'm Krem, Bull's second-in-command." Krem pointed out each Charger as he said their names, and Barris tried to commit them all to memory.

He smiled, lifting his hand up for a small wave.

"I think it's customary for you to introduce yourself after being introduced to someone," Bull teased, "But I don't know, maybe Templars are different."

Barris replied sheepishly, "Oh. I'm Knight-Templar Delrin Barris. But everyone just calls me Barris."

"Here's to Barris!" Bull cheered, lifting his drink. The rest of the Chargers raised their drinks as well. "To Barris!" They toasted in unison.

Barris couldn't help but grin as he raised his mug, his eyes catching Krem's as he did so. He took a large gulp of the drink Lottie had brought him and almost choked. 

"It burns, don't it?" Krem asked teasingly as he took a large gulp of his own drink, "The chief doesn't let us drink the weak stuff when he's buyin'."

"Damn right I don't!" Bull chimed in. "Drink up Barris! It's not a celebration if you can still remember what happened the next morning!"

Barris could feel the alcohol going to his head already, making everything feel warm and light. He sat back in his chair, taking small sips from his mug as he looked around. The Chargers had all gone back to talking amongst each other, laughing loudly as they downed their drinks. Eventually he was gazing at nothing, staring blankly ahead as his mind jumped randomly from thought to thought. He wasn’t sure how long he sat like that, his head growing fuzzier and his veins tingling with heat.

He snapped out of his daydreaming and watched as two women walked up to Bull. The Qunari pulled them both into his lap, talking and laughing with them. After a few minutes he was kissing and fondling them while somehow managing to hold on to his drink. Barris’ mouth fell open at the display.

“Yeah, the chief doesn’t really care about privacy.” Krem laughed as he sat down across from Barris, “Not even sure he knows the meaning of the word.”

Barris quickly looked away from the scene, focusing his gaze instead on the man sitting in front of him. He sipped his drink slowly, unsure of what to say.

Krem set his half-empty mug down, resting his elbows on the table and leaning closer to Barris. From this angle he could see the Charger’s eyes clearly. They were the warmest shade of brown, a stunning burnt orange, the light from the fireplace causing them to glow like flames themselves.

“Not much of a talker, are ya?” Krem asked, his tone teasing but his smile warm.

Barris placed his cup on the table and started running his fingers along the edges of it anxiously. He looked down at his hands, avoiding Krem’s eyes as he spoke. “Sorry,” he said quietly, “I’m not that talkative around people I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s change that then!” Krem said eagerly. “I’m Cremisius Aclassi or Krem, Lieutenant of the Bull’s Chargers and dirty ‘Vint.” He stuck his hand out to Barris, who took it and shook firmly. Barris couldn’t help but smile at the other man. “Lottie, we’ll need a few more drinks over here!” Krem yelled over towards the bar.

A few hours and several unidentifiable drinks later, the tavern had started to clear out and Barris and Krem sat laughing uncontrollably together, holding onto each other for support. Cabot announced that he had to close up for the night, and Barris struggled to his feet. Krem helped him up—his tolerance for alcohol was much higher and he was barely intoxicated. He walked Barris to the door, making sure he could walk on his own before wishing him a good night. Barris thanked him for the fun evening and stumbled out into the cold night air and up to his quarters.

Over the next few months, they made it a tradition—when one of them would return from a mission, they'd meet up at the tavern and drink together. Barris was glad to have Krem's friendship, and he respected the mercenary considerably. Krem made no secret of the fact that he had been born as a female, and Barris admired his courage in being true to himself and taking on significant personal risk for the sake of supporting his family. He enjoyed Krem's stories about the Chargers and when he spoke about growing up in Tevinter. Though Krem usually did more of the talking, Barris felt safe and comfortable around him, and it wasn't long before he trusted the Charger with all the details of his life.

Soon, Barris kept finding excuses to go to the tavern in between their usual visits. Krem would see him and call him over for a drink (or three) and they would talk for hours. After a while Barris stopped making excuses and came to see Krem as often as he could. Krem took to sitting at "their" table in the corner, instead of his usual chair by the stairs, to make sure the table was always ready when Barris showed up. Barris noticed the way the Charger's face seemed to light up whenever he entered the tavern, though he convinced himself he was just reading into things. He found himself growing closer to Krem than he had with anyone before. Of course he was close with his fellow Templars, but with Krem he felt he could truly be himself without worrying about duty or propriety.

Barris wasn’t sure when he had started feeling differently about Krem. He had always found the other man attractive, and of course he cared about him a great deal as their friendship had grown. It was the little things that he noticed at first. The way the corners of Krem’s eyes crinkled when he laughed; the electric feeling when their hands would accidentally touch; the way he took two hours to finish a drink because he didn’t want to be too muddled to enjoy Krem’s company; the way he felt intoxicated just being around Krem. He tried even harder, fought even fiercer each time he went on a mission so that he could come back to Skyhold as soon as possible and spend time with the Charger.

His work ethic didn’t go unnoticed. Six months after his arrival at Skyhold, Barris was called before the Inquisitor in the Great Hall.

"Knight-Templar Delrin Barris, in thanks for your service to the Inquisition and your help at Therinfal Redoubt, I endorse your promotion to Knight-Commander of the Templar Order."  

Barris could never have imagined that he would hear those words when he first came to Skyhold. It had seemed like a dream when the Inquisitor sat on her throne and spoke those words to him. Even more of a dream when his fellow Templars had stood and saluted him, accepting him as their Knight-Commander. After that came the celebration feast, and after that the party at the tavern. Barris wasn't used to getting so much attention, and after a few toasts in his honor, he snuck over to the corner of the tavern to sit with Krem. 

"Couldn't take another minute of all those stuffy nobles congratulatin’ you and buying you drinks?" Krem joked.

Barris laughed. "They kept toasting me with these tiny glasses of the sweetest, weakest wine I've ever tasted. I'm not sure it even had any alcohol in it."

"Where did Ser Barris go?" a disappointed voice called from the bar, "We haven't finished toasting yet."

"Uh-oh," Krem said, his tone playful, "They're after you!" He curved his fingers to resemble claws and pretended to attack Barris, who stifled a giggle.

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" the Templar asked, his voice high and dramatic like a damsel in distress. He put the back of his hand to his forehead and tilted his head back as if he was going to faint, for added effect.

Krem snorted, a bit of ale squirting out his nose as he did so. Both men stared at each other, shocked, before they burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Barris clutched his sides and bent forward as he tried to control his mirth. Krem was doing the same, and they ended up bumping their foreheads together, which only inspired another wave of laughter.

When they finally regained their composure, red-faced and breathing heavily, they saw some of the nobles approaching them, obviously looking for Barris. Krem signaled for Barris to stay quiet and follow him. They snuck upstairs and into Krem’s room. Barris closed the door behind them, locking it before turning back to face his friend. They looked at each other for a moment before they both began snickering again. 

Krem walked over to the bedside table and pulled out a bottle of honeyed wine from underneath it.

“I drink it to help me sleep sometimes,” Krem said softly by way of explanation as he passed the bottle to Barris. 

“I do that too,” Barris replied before taking a sip. He knew Krem wouldn’t willingly admit to drinking such weak alcohol without good reason.

“Anyway I can’t believe you left your fancy party to spend time with me.” Krem said, a bit of bewilderment in his voice. “Wouldn’t you rather be celebratin’ with all your adoring fans out there?” He asked sarcastically.

Barris made a face at Krem and punched him lightly in the arm. He handed the bottle back to the Charger. “Everyone’s making such a big deal out of my promotion, as if I only matter now that I’ve got an important title. None of those people really care about me.” He said sadly. “You don’t care about fancy titles or any of that.”

Krem took a sip of the wine before putting the bottle on the floor. He stepped closer to Barris, putting his hands on the Templar’s shoulders and looking up into his eyes. “You’re right that I don’t give a nug’s ass if you’ve got a fancy title or not. It wouldn’t matter to me if you were a slave or the fuckin’ King of Ferelden, I care about you. But that don’t mean I’m not proud as the Void of you for what you’ve done. You worked real hard, Barris. You’re a good man, a good warrior, and you deserve this.”

Barris didn’t know what to say. In an instant, all the confusion about his feelings for Krem had disappeared. He reached out tentatively and cupped Krem’s face in his hand, gently stroking the mercenary’s cheek with his thumb. Krem didn’t move, didn’t react beyond giving Barris a questioning look. He stared down at Krem, at his copper-colored eyes flickering in the candlelight. They were close enough that he caught Krem’s scent—warm, like a bonfire on a cold winter night. 

“Krem…” he whispered.

Before he could say anything else, Krem wrapped his arms around his waist, their armor clinking together as Krem held him tight. “Barris…you’re so important to me.” Krem said softly, his eyes closing as he rested his head against the Templar’s neck.

Barris returned the embrace, one arm wrapping around Krem’s back while the other held the back of his neck. “You’re important to me too, Krem.” He whispered, his voice nervous and shaking with the words, “I love you.”

Krem pulled back just enough to look Barris in the eyes, seeing the sincerity and emotion within their jade green depths. He leaned up, his warm breath ghosting over Barris’ lips. Barris inhaled sharply, smelling the sweet honeyed wine on Krem’s breath and freezing in place, not wanting to break the spell of this moment. Krem tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes, leaning forward slowly and pressing his lips against Barris’ in a feather-light kiss. Barris’ eyes fell closed as their lips met, and neither man moved for several seconds, their lips lingering against each other in a gentle caress.

Barris felt something inside him ignite, his heart squirming in his chest like a fish out of water. He moved his hand on the back of Krem’s neck, pulling him closer as he crushed his lips against Krem’s. Krem responded in kind, his lips devouring Barris’ hungrily. He reached up to start removing the Templar’s armor, his fingers deftly undoing the various straps and buckles as piece by piece of they heavy plate clattered to the floor. Barris started doing the same, cautiously slipping his tongue into Krem’s mouth, eliciting a moan from the mercenary.

They only broke the kiss for a few moments to remove the larger pieces of heavy plate. After a few minutes they were both bereft of their armor, finally feeling the heat of each other’s bodies in only their tunics and breeches. Barris held Krem tightly against himself, the hardness of his desire digging into Krem’s stomach as it pressed up between them. Krem stood on his toes and rolled his hips upward, trying to feel Barris’ cock against his sex. Barris moaned as he pushed Krem over to the bed, his knees hitting the edge and causing them both to fall onto the overstuffed mattress.

Krem slid up the bed until his head was resting on a pillow, Barris following as he hovered over him. He gazed down at Krem, veridium green eyes meeting burnt orange. They paused for a moment, breathing heavy and hearts racing, nodding to each other in agreement that this was what they both wanted. Barris ran his fingers tentatively along the hem of Krem’s tunic, his eyes silently asking permission. Krem nodded and sat up a little so that Barris could pull the garment off him, blushing as he did so. Barris reached up to pull his own tunic over his head and threw them both onto the floor before leaning back down over Krem.

Barris kissed him again, nipping lightly at his lips before moving down to Krem’s jaw. He trailed wet kisses along Krem’s jawline and down his neck, increasing the intensity as he went, adding teeth and sucking until he was leaving marks along the Charger’s shoulder, down to his collarbone, and back up to the other side of his neck and jaw. Krem moaned and bucked his hips up as Barris marked him with his mouth. He placed one hand on the warrior’s head, fingers gently stroking his short, coarse hair. The other hand pressed up against Barris’ chest, fingernails scratching lightly against the smooth, hard planes of muscle.

Krem began moving his hips more insistently, whining as Barris continued to slowly trail bites and kisses down his body. He paused when he reached Krem’s chest, one hand hovering over the fastenings of his binder as he looked into his eyes, silently asking permission. Krem blushed and shook his head, and Barris let his hand fall back down to the bed. He placed gentle kisses down the fabric of Krem’s binder before continuing down the mercenary’s stomach, tongue dipping into his bellybutton as he felt the firm muscles of Krem’s stomach contract under his touch. 

Barris stopped when he reached Krem’s breeches, his hand tugging lightly at the waistband of the garment, again looking to him for permission. Krem nodded, and Barris slowly slipped his breeches and smallclothes down his legs, throwing them to the side. Slowly, he ran a few fingers through the dark curls above Krem’s sex, watching his face for any discomfort or apprehension. Krem let out a sigh as Barris’ fingers traveled lower, skimming along either side of his entrance, already slick with desire. Gradually, he moved one finger to Krem’s center, pausing for a moment to check the Charger’s reaction.

Krem made a keening noise as he thrust his hips towards Barris’ hand, and Barris slowly sunk his finger into Krem’s core. They both moaned at the sensation, and Barris curled his finger upward, feeling Krem squeeze around him as he did so. Carefully, he slipped another finger inside, causing Krem to pant with want as he curled both fingers this time. 

“Barris…” Krem sighed breathily as he pulled the Templar up towards him. He crashed his lips bruisingly against Barris’, Krem’s hand reaching down to stroke his length through his breeches. Barris hissed into Krem’s mouth at the sudden sensation, the other man’s grip on his cock rough but not unpleasant. Krem stroked him a few more times before using both hands to pull Barris’ pants and smalls down, laughing as Barris almost fell over trying to kick the clothes off his legs.  

Barris recovered quickly, sinking his fingers back into Krem’s sex and softly circling his thumb against the swollen bundle of nerves that made Krem cry out in pleasure. The Charger bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to process the intense stimulation he was receiving. Barris increased his pace, wanting to hear Krem cry out again and again. He pushed his fingers as deep as they would go, curling his fingers as he thrust in and out, his thumb circling faster and harder over Krem’s engorged bud.

Krem squirmed underneath his touch and he had to press his other hand to Krem’s hip to hold him still. Barris didn’t slow his ministrations until Krem was shaking and crying out beneath him, clenching tightly around his fingers as he rode through his orgasm. When he was sure Krem had finished he pulled his fingers out slowly, and Krem watched with pupils blown as Barris brought his drenched fingers to his mouth and sucked.

“Maker! Barris!” Krem half-groaned, half-whined, reaching up and wrapping his hand around the Templar’s throbbing length.

Barris moaned, throwing his head back and closing his eyes as he thrust into Krem’s hand. Krem gently pulled Barris closer, guiding him to his entrance. Barris’ eyes snapped open as the head of his cock pressed against Krem’s dripping sex. They both sighed loudly as Barris slid slowly into Krem’s entrance, their sighs growing into moans as he sheathed himself fully in the mercenary’s tight, wet heat. He looked down at Krem’s face to make sure he was okay before pulling out and thrusting back in again, quicker this time. Krem wrapped his legs around Barris’ waist, pushing him even deeper inside, and matching his movements to Barris’ thrusts. They both began moaning loudly as Barris continued pounding into Krem, too lost in their pleasure to care about the noise they were making.

Barris stilled for a moment, motioning for Krem to flip over as he pulled out. They both frowned at the loss of sensation and Krem quickly turned over onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto all fours and sticking his arse out to Barris. The Templar kneeled behind him, guiding himself into Krem’s entrance again and pumping slowly, adjusting to the new, tighter position. He felt Krem’s walls squeezing him as he thrust against the sensitive spot inside him. He reached his hand around and began circling Krem’s swollen nub with two fingers, causing Krem’s slick, hot walls to tighten even further around him.

Krem’s breathing quickened to a pant and he gripped the bedsheets in his fists, whimpering as the pleasure started to become too much for him. Barris only increased the speed of his thrusts, pushing even harder and deeper into Krem’s core. Krem’s arms began to shake and he folded them down against the bed, resting his head on his hands. 

Barris groaned, the new position pushing him even further inside Krem. His fingers kept circling the tight bundle of nerves and before long Krem was shaking, his whole body shuddering as he cried out. His walls pulsed and contracted around Barris, causing his thrusting to become erratic, but he didn’t stop. He fucked Krem through his orgasm, his own release drawing ever closer. He felt his balls tighten and he yelled loudly as his orgasm flashed through him, his whole body tingling as he spilt his seed inside of Krem. He pumped a few more times until he came down from his release, then slowly pulled out.

Krem turned over, still panting and skin slick and flushed. Barris lied down on his side next to the Charger and Krem turned to face him. They both smiled shyly, suddenly aware that they hadn’t spoken since this had started. Barris wondered how Krem felt about him, and where their relationship would go from here. He reached a hand out to stroke Krem’s sweat-soaked hair.

Krem closed his eyes, savoring the feeling for a moment before opening them again and staring seriously at Barris. “I love you too, Barris.” He said sincerely.

Barris grinned before pressing his lips to Krem’s in a soft kiss. He pushed his forehead against Krem’s and wrapped his arms around the mercenary, just enjoying the closeness and the post-coital glow they shared.

After several minutes Barris pulled away to look Krem in the eyes. “So _now_ you say you love me, after I’ve fucked your brains out, hmm?” he asked playfully.

Krem chuckled, pressing a kiss to Barris’ nose. “Something like that,” he replied, and they both laughed, hands running lazily along each other’s bodies as they let drowsiness consume them and they fell into the heaviness of sleep.


End file.
